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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. lean — to bend
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. court — of a king
  7. bass — the fish
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — of law
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. mine — for digging
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — a lid
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. lean — thin
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cap — of ice
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com